My own Bagheera

When I was growing up my father ran a garage and so he had a pretty wide selection of interesting cars over the years... and a Montego.


As you can see he also had a 1973 Aston Martin V8 and this car is the basis for many of my fondest childhood memories. I even remember the dog in the picture was brought home as a puppy in a washing up bowl balanced on the passenger seat.

I can't recall the name of the dog but I do remember that the Aston was named Bagheera (Baggy to us) after the panther in the Jungle Book.

Anyway, I'm now finally in a position to continue the family tradition and acquire an Aston for myself. My first thought was to get another 1970s V8 but manuals seem to be rare and increasingly expensive. I also wonder how usable it would be.

I'm now looking at Gaydon era cars with my first thought being a Virage/DB9/DBS. I love the looks, the V12, and the 2+2 arrangement could be useful as my kids are still small. However they won't fit into the garage unless I either demolish the bench or banish the BMW out onto the drive.

So that brings me to the Vantage and the question of whether to get a V8S or a V12. I would plan to use the car every day for the commute and the school-run, not sure how much of a factor that'd be in the decision but there is an element of being stuck in traffic to consider. My current thinking goes...

V8V - likely to be newer, lower servicing costs, has the option of Sportshift (any good in traffic?) perhaps more manageable for every day use.
V12V - it's a V12, but perhaps 'too much' as a daily driver, perhaps a pain in traffic, would have to be an older car for the same budget.

As I write this I'm struggling to find reasons not to choose the V12. Is this a silly idea? I assume that I can ditch the Corsas for something with better wet-weather ability and I'd get a set of winter wheels/tyres too.

My questions are:
- Any experiences of using either a V8S or V12V as an everyday, all weather car?
- I plan to buy from a dealer, I don't need finance but would taking it strengthen my bargaining position?
- I assume that a dealer would (subject to negotiation) be able to offer a longer warranty?
- What I'd really like is to take my dad on a factory tour. Is there any way a dealer could offer that as part of the deal on a used car?

Many use their cars as daily drivers and no need to worry. You can get normal tyres for the V12 and many do. The ASM gearbox is not a slushbox (ie not a torque converter) and is probably worse than a manual in slow stop start traffic. I promise you, you won't use the ASM in Drive/Auto mode, you'll use the paddles and do all the changes yourself. You can adapt to it but its not ideal. I've not driven a manual Aston but it might be easier in traffic.

I think dealers prefer finance as they make on that but nobody will turn you away with cash. If you're buying used, dealers tend not to negotiate much but of course, try.

You can negotiate a longer warranty. Someone has just done this on here, but get it in writing as they tend be very forgetful! At the end of the day, its all money - you asking for an extra year/£1500 of warranty will need to be factored in somewhere.

Factory tour is possible. No big issue in getting one not that I've bothered as I've spent too long in Gaydon trying to work with JLR.

Get one... you know it makes sense! A V12V will probably cost more and/or be a fair bit older but is likely to hold its value better. A V8VS is no bad car... I have one.. but the suspension is pretty firm.

And enjoy the buying experience, buy the "book" (there is a sticky on the forum) as it tells you more than you can imagine about model year changes, the differences between cars etc.

All i can add is , i love the dog.

I just checked with my mum. That's Nelson, a Newfoundland.

Alex,

Welcome to the forum. You may know Jack's comment but if not, it is a saying here that if anyone drives a V12 Vantage, they will buy it.

'perhaps a pain in traffic' - the Gaydon cars are remarkable for being both docile and flexible when driven slowly, and also firebreathing rockets when desired.

Factory visits are arranged by dealers, so I am sure that would be possible for you. It is a fantastic place to see. On YouTube there are some films showing inside both Newport Parnell and Gaydon factories. Quite a contrast - no banging hammers these days.

If the BMW is an M1 then ok, fair enough. Anything else, get it shifted and buy the car you really want...

So much disapointment in this thread "My own Bagheera"

This is what I was expecting

If you want a reason to not buy a V12 then get the V8S. Do NOT ever test or get into a V12. I bought my first V8 3 years ago and did the same, the V12 itch got me 18 months later and I've not looked back.

Having taken my V8 in, done the deal and driven off in the V12 the most noticeable difference was the suspension being a good bit firmer and the extra engine noise. Driven gently both are very similar.

Swap the positions of the last two and you would have saved the best for last!

This is becoming a dog thread. He is lovely! We had a dalmatian when i was a young kid, i still have a slight scar where he bite me .(my fault not his)